It would take more than a few pairs of hands to count how many times construction companies have told us that spreadsheets are causing issues for them when estimating and tendering in the last couple of months!
It’s becoming more and more apparent that spreadsheets are a thing of the past during the pre-contract phase as solutions like Eque2’s EValuate estimating software are allowing companies to produce accurate and adjudicated tenders efficiently.
Continue reading below to find out why Ballast Nedam Parking LTD have made the move to Eque2’s building estimating software.
Ballast Nedam Parking LTD – Who they are and their challenges
Ballast Nedam Parking LTD design and build smart car parks, tailored to the client’s specific requirements. Originally operating out in the Netherlands and now in the UK, Ballast have become an expert in high-quality parking solutions internationally.
In the past, Ballast were heavily reliant upon Excel to manage their estimating processes. However, they found that the more reliant they became on spreadsheets, the more complications it was causing.
With spreadsheets, there was a greater risk of human error such as miss-pricing items, formulas not calculating correctly and duplicating information across different files.
So many spreadsheets meant that they couldn’t have a central library of cost codes and prices. Instead, they had to copy and paste data from previous jobs into new estimates increasing the risk of duplication and errors.
When sending out enquiries to subcontractors, it was tricky to track and monitor what documents have been sent, received and reviewed, causing more work when producing estimates.
To summarise, Ballast Nedam Parking LTD needed something which:
- Centralised all of their pre-contracting processes into one efficient solution.
- Negated the need for spreadsheets to ensure accuracy, improve tendering speeds and reduce the risks of errors.
- Aided in the enquiry process when speaking to contractors, including the delivery, tracking and amendments of documents.
Ballast Nedam Parking and Eque2’s Building Estimating Software
Entering the market, Ballast discovered Eque2’s Evaluate Building Estimating Software and a demo was arranged.
To start, Ballast saw Eque2’s EValuate handled all of their pre-contract processes in one place including takeoff, tendering, adjudication, pricing and subcontractor enquiries. They saw how EValuates pricing libraries would allow them to easily produce Bills of Quantities either manually or populate fields easily using data from previous jobs which could be saved.
Ballast saw how they could utilise Eque2’s cloud takeoff software Stratosphere to price, measure and record all the materials they need for their construction projects. Being cloud-based, anyone could access it securely at any time on any device.
Through the Subcontractor Enquiry Portal, Ballast saw how they could issue enquiries, revisions and other documents through the online portal allowing for greater communication and efficiency when dealing with subcontractors.
After the demonstration, Ballast Nedam Parking purchased Eque2’s EValuate to handle all of their pre-contract processes and to replace their spreadsheets. They also purchased the project enquiry centre to handle the subcontractor enquiries and the Stratosphere takeoff module to handle all of their takeoff needs.
If you would like to see in action how Eque2’s building estimating software EValuate can improve your estimating processes, click here to register for our up-and-coming webinar.
We understand that every business is different. Therefore, if you’d like to have a tailored demonstration for your company, feel free to reach out to us at construction@eque2.com to book your free demo.